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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING BECKY SCHLIKERMAN FOR HER SERVICE TO COOK COUNTY AND ITS RESIDENTS
WHEREAS, Becky Schlikerman, Press Secretary for Office of the Cook County President, will end her service to the residents of Cook County effective May 31, 2019; and
WHEREAS, Becky began her service to the County on October 2015 as Public Information Officer in the Bureau of Administration; and
WHEREAS, hiring Becky was seen as a great “steal” for the Office of the President; and
WHEREAS, Becky guided communications for multiple departments, including the Office of the Medical Examiner of Cook County, Departments of Environmental Control and Sustainability, Animal and Rabies Control, Transportation and Highways, and Veterans Affairs to name a few; and
WHEREAS, Becky’s exceptional work and expertise in communications led her to the position of Press Secretary for Office of the President; and
WHEREAS, Becky assumed and carried out her responsibilities to the press and public with full transparency and accountability; and
WHEREAS, prior to beginning her public service, Becky was a seasoned newspaper reporter, who was known as thorough and determined in pursuit of her professional tasks; and
WHEREAS, in 2008, after graduating from Columbia College, Becky began her career as a reporter with SouthtownStar, reporting on local government, crime, courts, and education; and
WHEREAS, Becky joined the Chicago Tribune in 2010, followed by service at DNAinfo Chicago, and the Chicago Sun-Times, where she continued to report vital news to the residents of Chicago, Cook County and Illinois; and
WHEREAS, among Becky’s regular reporting assignments was, ironically, covering the Medical Examiner’s Office; and
WHEREAS, Becky was awarded the 2008 Sigma Delta Chi Award for investigative reporting and the 2014 National Association Black Journalists Salute to Excellence award; and
WHEREAS, beyond her service at Cook County, Becky is a certified scuba diver, who loves the beach and, as a native of Colombia, Puerto Rico and Florida, desperately yearns for warmer weather than she regularly experiences in Chicago; and
WHEREAS, Becky enjoys spending time with her friends, and is eagerly anticipating being reunited with her husband, Kim Janssen, who recently relocated to the West Coast; and
WHEREAS, Becky is well-liked, admired and respected by all who know her; and
WHEREAS, Becky, her intellect, instincts and sense of humor, as well as her loyalty and passion for uplifting the residents of Cook County, will be sorely missed by current and former colleagues and friends in Cook County, and among those media representatives she has come to know both personally and professionally; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the President and the Cook County Board of Commissioners, on behalf of the residents of Cook County, do recognize Becky Schlikerman for all that she has contributed to Cook County and its residents, and wish her all the best on her future endeavors; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this Resolution be tendered to Becky Schlikerman as a means of communicating our appreciation for her service.
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